Source: arts.gov
Born in Baton Rouge, Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi was a bookworm as a child, and was inspired at a very young age by the “mechanics and the design” of the airplane, or what she considers “the greatest invention of all time.” Dr. Mazloomi ultimately earned her PhD in aerospace engineering but “continued to have many interests,” including quilt making and its importance to the African American community. Dr. Mazloomi has powerful beliefs about folk art and its influence on culture and history:
“I firmly believe that creating art and folk art, which I call “the people’s art, by ordinary people,” which has the capacity to affect the spirit (I really feel that work is spirit-driven); when you create a piece that has touched the heart, spirit and soul of the person that’s looking at it, it no longer belongs to you; it no longer belongs to the maker; it belongs to the public at large.”
Dr. Mazloomi seeks to tell stories of the African American community not only through the creation of her own quilts, but also through curating quilt exhibits and writing books about the art form itself.
Please enjoy this podcast from the National Endowment for the Arts, in which Dr. Mazloomi discusses her personal background, her current projects, and the art of storytelling in the African American community through quilt making.